This Day in Crime History

January 16: 1936: Serial Killer Hamilton Howard “Albert” Fish was executed in the electric chair in Sing Sing Prison. He was responsible for at least 5 murders, including 10-year-old Grace Budd whose murder he was sentenced to death for.

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Blair Holt, a 16 year old student at Julian High School, was shot and killed on a CTA bus last Thursday, becoming a hero in the act.

Tiara Reed, Holt’s classmate, visited the family Saturday, telling them their son threw himself on top of her as the gunman opened fire. She was shot in the foot.

Four students, including Tiara Reed, were wounded in the shooting, of which the intended target escaped harm entirely. The wounded are recovering from their wounds.

According to witnesses, before the shooter got on the bus, he told people at the bus stop what was going to happened and warned them about getting on the bus. But, of course, the passengers on the bus had no warning and were sitting targets when the suspects got on the bus.

Michael “Mario” Pace, 16, is charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder in the Thursday shooting that claimed the life of Julian High School student Blair Holt, 16, who was not the intended target. Facing identical charges is 15-year-old Kevin Jones, who sources said gave Pace the gun. Jones knew Pace wanted to use the weapon to try to kill someone Pace had argued with on an almost “daily basis,” possibly over a girl, sources said

Now, a mother has lost her son, a few days before Mother’s Day and just before his 17th birthday. I am sure that the only comfort that she has is that her son died to protect a friend. In fact, the day before Mother’s Day, Tiara visited with Annette Holt to let her know how much she appreciated Blair and what a hero he was to her.

“To hear from them that my son was a hero is tremendous,” Annette Holt said later. “He was special.”

56 Responses

This just goes to show that if we want a change we have to get up, grab it by the throught and take it. If we want tighter gun laws we have to push for them. Because if we dont things like this will continue to happen. We have toi take control of what we want to make our “Democratic” country a safer place for every one.

My deepest condolences to the Holt Family,
I can just about imagine what this family is going through, it was three months ago that my son was shot in the mouth coming home from school but by The Grace Of God he lived. I am so sorry for your lost and I am praying for you daily. May God heal your hearts.
I Love You.

My deepest condolences to the holt familty. My daughter went to the college trip went Blair last month and said that he was such a nice young man full of life. She is deepened saddened that he is gone.

My deepest prayers go out to the Holt family. Blair is in heaven smiling down on all of us. I hate when things like this happen but to know that he died a hero is conforting and I pray that things like this will come to an end. The Holt family is in my prayers.

I ddidnt know blair but i want to send my deepest condolences to his family. i know people that knew him and they told me that he was a good person so i prey for you and i hope you all come through this okay. god bless.

I would like to send my deepest sympathy to the Holt Family. I do not know you but my heart goes out to you and your family. I am a mother of a high school student there in Chicago, I worry about my son everyday with so many things happening to our youths. I am miles away in Houston Texas and my son attends highschool there. I am praying for you and your family that you might find peace during your storm. May God continue to Bless and keep you in his arms remember, NO WEAPON FORMED YOU SHALL PROSPER!!!!!!

Blair was not just another guy. He was the one to keep a smile on your face even when you couldnt find the strength to put one there on your own. He showed care and concern at the same time joked around. Me and Blair were known as the Ike and Tina because we play fought everyday for the past 3 years and we grew stronger by the days that went pass and on the day that our beloved angel passed I told him that i loved him and of course Blair being Blair he joked about it but hugged later. Julian will never be the same without Blair. We will most definatley miss our beloved lyrical angel and our strong soldier. Love you blair and you raised a beautiful son Mr. and Mrs. Holt I wish you a journey of love and patience.

this is so sad i eve`n cried for him i did not know him i stay out west and my school `was even sad by it that is so wrong how them lil boys got on that bus and started shooting but blair was a hereo gid bless u

Annetta and Ronald, my heart goes out to you. Blair is a Hero because he came from the place of a good heart. My son died in 1996. It still feels like yesterday. You both are Heroes because you are taking action in your community to see to it that this kind of tragedy is brought to a halt. God bless you both. All my prayers and love and respect for you and your wonderful son.

I do not know you nor did I know your son but I have cried so many times over his death. I can only imagine what you’re going through. From everything I have read about him, he was a wonderful person and that you can be proud of. I want you to know you are in my thoughts and I have prayed for you every night since May 10 and will continue to do so. May God bless you and give you strength.

when i hear about a young man like your son,taken from us
in such a violent way,my blood boils with anger(not an anger that wants revenge,an anger that searches for change.)we live in a society that invites and glorifies death.i believe Blair knew this.and he was searching for the same change.i said he was taken from us,not to take anything from his family and friends,but because he may have grown to be the man to put this country back on track. we live in a country that fights so hard for abortion and euthanasia,it seems to me that we are teaching our children that life is expendable.america needs young men like Blair now more than ever.we as a society need to protect our chidren.i didn’t know Blair but i feel a kinship to him,his words echo my beliefs,his fight is also mine.my prayer is that his words he left behind will touch this country in such a way that we will make his dream come true.

I did not know him just read what happen on the news. It really hurts to see someone lose their life rather is a young person or an older person from a crime. I send love, my tears, support, hugs, kisses and prayers to the Holts family. May God be with you.

Blair was an inspirational friend in many ways everyday I think about when I walked out of Percy L. Julian and my friend said Blair had got shot but I never thought in a million yaers that such a good well respectful young man like Blair would be killed and now that he is gone I think about life a little differently and love more than ever R.I.P Bizzy B and my prayers are with the Holt Family!!!

blair was like a friend to me, he was so kute, i remember when me and my cousin would see him at his grandparents store we’ll be flirting with him all day because he was so sexy to me, and i remember when he use to go to school with my brother jonathan sims i still use to like him even though i went to lavizzo, so now that hes not around im not going to see his handsome face dang! Blair R.I.P love u papi and i see u one day in a better place
2 Mr and Mrs. Holt i wanna bless u with all my love and hope u will be okay i dont have kids to u something bad but i hope so much4 yall and give u guys the bestest luck ever and that blair is with the angel that aways been by u
!~love Jasmine Harris~!
!~R.I.P Blair Delane Holt~!

Yeh its me again De’Ondra man!!! i still cant believe that Bizzy “B” iz gone. Im more sadened every day but I know Blair is in a better place Mrs.Holt I know you have never physicaly met me but I attended Julian and i remember how strong you were after Blair died how you came to our school and gave all of us encouraging love and THANK YOU so much and I hope you and your Mr.Holt can remember all the happy times with Blair and remember that we from Julian are standing by your side to help you you are still in my prayers LOVE YOU!!! ~*~De’Ondra Jamison~*~ *~* R.I.P BIZZY “B”*~*

I went school with Blair i remember his freshman year and it was my soph. we had lunch and he used to rap and we’ll tell em ” go to class cause it ain’t happenin” haa and it would juss make the lil dude write more. he was know for dressin fly and havin all the ladies intrests..it hurts my soul to know it wasn’t him that shouldve died instead it was supposed to be that guy they was aiming at! he was gone be somethin and somebody was nothing ended that.

MAN WHEN I HEARD ABOUT BLAIR THAT TORE MY HEART APART I DIDNT KNOW HIM BUT I STILL CRIED EVERY TIME I SEE HIM EVERY TIME I RIDE BY JULIAN HIGH SCHOOL HES MY HERO N FOR EVERYBODY THATS MOURNIN HIS LOST ITS GOING TO BE OK DONT CRY I UNDERSTAND ITS OK THOUGH CAUSE NOW HE IN A BETTER PLACE
LOVE DIVA

i can’t imagine how it feels to loss a child. especially if you dont know in what kind of danger their in. thats y it important to just live live. but not by shootiing at people or hurting them. thats y its important to think before yuo act. you are just taking a life of some one which really isnt ur job. especially gangbangers quit being stupid and stop hurting and killing people you aer just brimging your self sins.

As a former employee of Julian High School , I remember Blair and he was a good kid. I just lost another student of mine named Rocky Uriostegui, a former student that transferred to Kelly High School. I had to leave the field of education, I am now a therapist and working with children with issues. When are we going to learn that enough is enough. When will these young men learn to make decisions that will extend their lives instead of ending them. They often learn when they are laying there with seconds to live and its too late. When will we as a community stand up to this stupid snitching mentality, and rise up to help are young men and women, who are degrading themselves for cheap thrills and illegal money. Who will stand up and take a young man by the hand and teach him the right way to make money, and that being “SO HOOD aint always GOOD”.

Hi,
I’m Blair’s aunt Lori, I really appreciate the kind thoughts about Blair. My nephew was one of a kind, it has been 9 mos since his death. Blair was really close to my 1yr old son at the time who looks like him andmy daughter who turned 4yrs old on May 7, just days before my nephews death. Out the mouths of babes my kids are very traumatized by my nephews death just as I am. It so unexplainable that it seems to be not real for me. My family really miss Blair so much that words can’t explain.
WE LOVE YOU BLAIR SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! AUNTIE LORI AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY

To the Holt family, I am deeply saddened and am so very sorry for your loss. I didn’t know anything about this tragedy until i saw you on the Oprah show this past week. And in the middle of that show, I paused the recording and scoured the internet to read the stories and view all the videos pertaining to your son’s heroic efforts. As a mother of one 9 year old son, I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of losing your only child. And I, like you, feel that I am doing all the right things. I’m divorced but my son’s dad is a police officer so I guess I find myself identifying with you in several ways. We do everything we can to protect our children but so many times it seems as though it’s not enough. I’m one of those very protective moms who makes of point of knowing my son’s friends and meeting their parents. And it’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve let my guard down and allowed him to participate in sleep overs that seem to be so popular among school kids these days. But of course it’s only with kids whose parents I’ve met and whose homes I’ve been to and feel comfortable about. It’s just so hard it seems to keep them safe. Especially when they so much want to be independent.

Of course there is nothing I can say or do that will bring Blair back to you, but I want you to know that learning about him has inspired me to pay even more attention to what goes on around and in my son’s life. To do all that I can to keep him and other children safe and to just honor and appreciate the time I have with him. Because we just never know what will happen. You obviously raised a very compassionate, giving and selfless son who was willing to risk his own life to save that of a friend. I can only hope and pray that my son will be just that kind of person.

It hurts me to have to deal with all the people i’ve lost in my life to gun violence. i miss sitting up in class crackin jokes with blair. he use to call me his mississippi girl. he stayed fresh everyday and you kno all the gurls love it. i only knew him for a year but in that little bit of time it was beautiful. he was so cool and he was lik the only person that gave me the time of day when no one else couldn’t stand me.
R.I.P Bizzy

April 27, 2008
My deepest sympathy goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Holt. I heard about your son Blair just today and my heart aches. I am a Singer/Songwriter in Western New York, and I have a 12 year old son who is my only child. Your son was a hero!
I wrote a song that I would like you to listen to. Please go to my website at lisabarrettcd.com and click on the link for “Share Your Light”. I wrote this song because I, like so many people in our world, are sickened by the increasing school shootings. Maybe the song will help you in some way. I have also started writing a song for your son and for all the other innocent victims, who were just caught in the crossfire, and not part of any gang. Somebody needs to remember their life, not that he was just a”victim of a gang-related shooting, but that he was your innocent, beautiful child!” I will send another comment when it is done. I never planned on being a songwriter. I wrote my first song “When You Look at Me”, in memory of my nephew Austin. He lost his battle with cancer just shy of his second birthday. I was walking by his picture one day when I said out loud, “I can almost feel your touch when you look at me”. That was the moment I started writing the song for him, and I’m still writing today! I recorded an album in Nashville in Spring of 2005, and I am donating portions of each CD to a program of Hospice for children, called Essential Care.
I, like you, love children. I, like you, want to stand up and make a difference, make a change, stop the violence, and save our children! Austin is my angel that left me the gift of songwriting. I know Blair is your angel that will help you change the world for the better! A loss of a child is the most traumatic experience any human being can go through. Although Austin’s death was due to cancer, I do understand your pain. I would love to talk with you if you want to send an email: lisabarrettcd@netzero.com.
May God bless you and heal you everyday!
Lisa Barrett
lisabarrettcd.com

Blair’s family and my family basically grew up together. Our grandparents have been living across the street from one another for years. He was like another cousin. It has almost been a year and the pain hasn’t gone away. I had just come home from my first year of college and my grandma called me to tell me the news. I couldn’t believe it because I hadn’t seen Blair in a while and just couldn’t imagine the little Blair I knew, gone. Seeing his mom and dad and family was just even more heartbreaking. It’s still hard. I just wanted to let you guys know we still pray for you and we love you. We will ALWAYS love and remember you Blair!!

i know this iz a bit late but very time i run across sumthin about bliar i just cry because i know wut hiz family and friends went threw and i grief for him just like i would if it waz one of my own family memebers so . this is for blair, this is for hiz family, this is for hiz friends, this is for the hero that put sumthin special in every ones heart. ya girl sharron shaw

okay first off let me say i go to herzl elementry school on the wes side of chicago because i was born and raised over here i’m only 13 but it hurst me because 2 years ago i lived out south on 105 th and went worth and it kills me because my sister takira payton went to julian but she wasn’t going there to long but long enough i just wish i would get the chance to come and take a trip threw blairs room one day just to se if i could cinnect wit him because every time i here about this i just stop and think why why him why not anbody else no homo but to tell you the truth i don’t no blair and i miss him my sister probaly don’t either but we know of him i this is hurting for me to know that something like this happen to someone like him i eaven though about naming my first baby boy after him this is big for me and it hurts i wanna cry but i can’t but i really wanna get a chance to visit blairs room so MOM if your reading this hit me up at quintaurusross@att.net please and thank you it was an honor blair will always be wit me as well as he’s wit you i love you mr and mrs blair

When will the violence stop. My sister teaches at Corliss HIgh School and I hope everything goes well. Blair was a good kid yes he was I taught at Julian, but I left the field of teaching to try to help children, like the ones who shot Blair. My goal is to help the parents teach and reach the children before they explode. I am working on my Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.

hey my name is keyaria i did not kno much about him but i knew who he was he was a very good person to every body one thing i cdan say is that he is my hero i love you bizzy b r.i..p see you in haven big man

I’m sorry for your lost I found out at the stepping show at the University and that was sad to see another young person get took up out of here like that but I’m 13 and I attend Prarie-Hills Junior High I will keep you prayed up and do the same for me

Thank You all for your kind thoughts and prayers. Blair was the love of my life and I ask you if you can do anything, it is to change the world so we don’t have to continue to live like this. There are too many teenagers being gunned down in our streets. It starts with you young people.

This is just heartbreaking. What a wonderful youn man to throw himself on a young lady to save her life. Words will never express how I feel towards this young man. You don’t hear many stories like this. My heart aches for his family and friends. What a true HERO. God bless you Blair and your family. My prayers and thoughts are with you.

I just wanted to say to Blair’s parents and family that I am very sorry for your loss of your brave and courageous son. I know the pain of him being gone is heartbreaking but what an amazing son you raised, someone who didn’t think twice about protecting his friend. he is a true Hero.

It’s sad to see that the youth of today feel they can’t resolve their anger without lashing out in some form of hate, distruction or violence.
Some suggest removing all the guns. That is not the answer, look at England who did just that and the crime rate by handguns is up 30-40%.
Enforcement of laws with visable penalty need to be enforced.
I wonder how many violent games this young killer played and who his role or influence was.
What about his parents and school. This is where we need to begin working to help our future generations.
When we as a nation, community, and family learn to build respect and wholesome traditional values into our children; then and only then will our children act with responsibility.
No pill, no law, no substitute, will replace our responsibility to teach and train our future generations. Blair Holt will be missed as one of those we can’t afford to loose. Our childrens future lies in our hands and no gun law will ever have any measure of impact in comparison to the impact of a family or education. Chuck

It is a good thing handguns are prohibited in Chicago and it is illegal to own a handgun if you are under 21 and a long gun of you are under 18. If this were not the case, a 16 year old delinquent may have shot someone.

Tighter gun laws mean absolutely nothing. The guns that are committing crimes are the ILLEGAL guns that no one is monitoring. You make tighter gun laws, the guns that keep people safe are off the street and you have criminals who are undeterred by laws free to kill who ever they want. You are an idiot if you think tighter gun laws will solve these problems.

Yeah – let’s tighten up on gun control. So we can’t defend our property, ourselves, and our children. Let’s turn law abiding gun owners into criminals, so we can put them in jail, and have the lawless murderers and crazies come visit YOU at 4:37am.
Then you can throw your butter knives at them, while they drill holes in you with their nice new HK G36C !!!!
Sounds good to you, right?
When all that happens – good luck you victim!!!
I really am sorry and feel for the family that had this tragedy happen. Parents shound not out-live their children.
So, when will everyone realizes that gangs, mobsters and robbers, etc., don’t go to Wal-mart, or Academy to buy their “weapon of choice”. That paper trail alone will put them UNDER the jail. They get their weapons from robbing and the black market.
What needs to happen is tighter laws on crimes – you kill someone in a robbery, fight, crime. You face to death penalty. PERIOD.
The next time “Malibu’s most wanted”, gets the urge to car-jack you with a gun. I think he’ll realize, your Prius isn’t worth “his” life.
One bad decision goes a LONG way.
I choose to keep firearms. Give yours up if you want, and good luck!

That boy is a hero, no other way to put it. He gave his life selflessly and without regard or hesitation. However, using his name as an appeal to emotion to pass a bogus bill is wrong. H.R. 45 would not have had any effect in young Blair’s situation had it been on the books, for the people who enabled and perpetrated the crime were minors, 15 and 16 years old. The bill only deals with those over 18. Most criminals, like Blair’s killer, do not acquire guns through legal channels. H.R. 45 would not have saved Blair Holt’s life.

When 15 year old children are walking around with guns, the problem is not a lack of strict gun laws-handguns are still illegal in Chicago-the problem is lack of parents. When black men step up to the plate and become fathers and black women stop seeking self-respect in out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a step in the right direction will be taken. There was a time not that long ago when the black family unit was the STRONGEST in the nation-less divorce, less illegitimacy, stronger sense of community than in the nation at large. Black culture at one time claimed the highest ground-Duke Ellington, Clarence Dunbar, Gordon Parks, Miles Davis, William Grant Still (know who he was???), John Coltrane. The evil, simple-minded charlatans who claim to be their decendants-the Tupac Shakurs, the Snoop Doggs, the Ice-T’s, with their violent filth which passes for music, must be rejected if you are ever to rid yourselves-and the nation as a whole- of the tragic spectacle of a Blair Holt in a coffin at the age of 16. At one time, a musician or entertainer was respected for his/her talent; the current crop of overpaid black criminals-and their white imitators-now are only respected by the “music” reviewers and the buying public if they can sport a criminal record, a flashy SUV, and a “crew.” Only when you as a community recognize the inherent sickness of that mindset will you begin to heal, and stop the carnage. Until then, not all the draconian gun laws in the world will accomplish anything but the disarming of potential victims. The Klan knew that, which was why the nation’s first gun “control” laws were passed in the old south; they were the first to realize that criminals prefer unarmed victims. How insane-and shameful-that a supposedly “Afro-centric” lawmaker like Bobby Rush would adopt the same laws, just to make himself look like he’s “doing something.” The sheer numbers of black youth murdered by other black youth far exceed in one month what the Klan perpetrated in ten years-even in their heyday. Another thing-some of the postings here, by classmates and acquaintances of Mr. Holt, betray a shocking level of illiteracy. These young people need to know that talking and writing “hip hop” will not help them get good jobs. The schools in many of our cities may leave a lot to be desired-but they are free, and it is about time that kids learn to take advantage of them. This of course would be far easier if they had parents rather than temporary sex partners-and you know who you are. Yeah, I know, I’m just some old white guy from the ‘burbs, so what do I know? But, just in case you’re thinking that I don’t care-actually I do. Because, in case you forgot, or didn’t know-we share the same country.

HR 45 is crap. After all, Chicago already bans guns!
Mr. Holt should go after the criminals and not try to legislate legitamate gun owners.

The father could/should have taught his child to respect guns by taking him to a target range or professional trainer.

He wasn’t so much a hero as a child who wasn’t trained in the reality of guns. Video games and TV programs of gun violence don’t show a child the reality.

Mr Holt should write a bill to license video and violent TV/movie programs. Require producers to make reality tests available to kids who they know what is really possible and what is fantasy.

Throwing himself on the girl was stupid. In wars heros often die because they don’t think before they act. Had he really known the power of the gun he probabaly would have hid behind the target.

The real smart one in this sad death is the target who knew the danger and escaped.

All children should be trained in gun handling and know the risks.

Far more kids die in auto accidents eitgher as a passenger or as a young driver, than by guns. Where is the outrage?
I want less government gun control and mandatory training in highschools on gun handling.

Interesting that Chicago and DC are handgun free zones yet have the highest crime rate with guns.

Arm Chicago citizens with concealed handgus and the bad guys will lessen their vioelnce. Having the option to fire back gives bad guys pause.

The police don’t have time to protect citizens. It is a better idea for adults and kids to get the proper training, purchase a handgun and PRACTICE using it.

[…] Holt was already prohibited from purchasing, carrying, or owning a handgun! To make matters worse, Pace apparently got the gun from a Kevin Jones, a 15-year-old boy! What makes Rush think that these criminals will register their guns or apply for a permit to own […]

[…] Holt was already prohibited from purchasing, carrying, or owning a handgun! To make matters worse, Pace apparently got the gun from Kevin Jones, a 15-year-old boy! What makes Rush think that these criminals will register their guns or apply for a permit to own […]

[…] Holt was already prohibited from purchasing, carrying, or owning a handgun! To make matters worse, Pace apparently got the gun from Kevin Jones, a 15-year-old boy! What makes Rush think that these criminals will register their guns or apply for a permit to own […]